Sorry, No Physical Release For Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies In The West

At one point, Capcom were exploring the possibility of giving Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies a physical release in the west, but this is no longer the case, says series producer Motohide Eshiro.

Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies was initially announced as a download-only game for the west. Then, in an interview in June, Eshiro suggested that Capcom were open to exploring the idea of a physical release, provided that demand was strong enough. At the time, Capcom also warned that a potential physical release would compromise the game’s price and take longer than a download release.

Finally, today, in reply to a question as part of a fan Q&A, Eshiro confirmed that a physical release will not be possible.

“In response to fan feedback we looked into a western physical release of Dual Destinies but from the beginning of the project, one of our goals has been to bring the game to the western market much more quickly than we have been able to in the past,” Eshiro stated. “As text adventures, the Ace Attorney games require a lot of time for localization, so we really moved the proverbial mountains and had a lot of people work very hard to get the text localized as quickly as possible—while of course maintaining the high quality level fans are accustomed to.”

He continued, “As part of this, we made the decision to release on digital only in the west in order to take manufacturing time out of the equation and allow the release date to be as early as possible. So the answer is, no, Dual Destinies will be a digital download-only release in the west.”

Eshiro also went on to state that release timing was also part of the decision to localize the game solely into English, instead of other languages as well. Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies will be available in the west this fall.

“The exclusive owner and publisher of an intellectual property is attempting to devalue it so that they will no longer be under obligation to release associated products.”

Now see how dumb that is? There is no obligation to localize future titles regardless of how AA 5 may or may not fare. So devaluing the Ace Attorney IP not only hurts Capcom by devaluing something they own and closing down potential future revenue streams, but it’s not even getting them out of any sort of unpleasant future jobs as you speculate.

There is no way that releasing an unsuccessful product benefits Capcom. I’ll be honest, those conspiracy theories about 9/11 being done by the US government are more believable than this, because at least the US gov’t benefited in some ways from that terror attack. Here… there’s just nothing. No motive.

GH56734

Then how about the Japanese SEGA sabotaging Sonic Xtreme, and one angry producer burning the source code for Panzer Dragon out of jealousy for this project getting more staff than his? Well, all of this is stuff from actual interviews with employees involved first-hand in said incidents.

Now this is Capcom, (I won’t mention the slew of cancelled Megaman games suspiciously shortly after someone resigned…) and this is a Visual Novel, a Japanese-centered franchise, a risk, a traditional non-iPhone handheld console game, and a localization. Something they’d rather not do. You can search about the European launch of AAI and tell if it was intentional sabotage or not.

NLucafs

Of course I don’t actually believe Capcom is doing what I said. It was a sarcastic post.

But think about it. AA is already a low seller in the west. Hell, low sales were the reason why we didn’t get AAI2 and why we almost didn’t get AA5. It makes no sense to limit your game to the worst online shop on the market, unless you’re trying to find a reason to stop releasing future titles in the series (and you’re right, Capcom is under no obligation to localize them anyways. But it’s a better excuse to say you’re not localizing because of poor sales than to simply not do it).

A digital only release will guarantee obscure sales for the title. No, sales probably weren’t going to be that great regardless, but however much a physical release would have sold, it would probably be several times higher than this digital-only one. The value of the AA property in the west is already declining because of this.

But we’ll see. Honestly, I think this will be the last main series AA game we’ll see here in the west (with Layton vs AA probably being the last one we see outright). I hope I’m wrong, but it kinda sorta seems like Capcom hopes I’m right.

http://linkapics.tumblr.com/ Linka

I honestly don’t blame them. I’d rather have the game sooner than waiting until this winter/next year, as well as vastly increasing the amount of sales the game would need to be considered a “success” over here.

Not that this is going to change some people’s opinions…

http://innerchildgamer.com Doc@ICG

I don’t understand their rush to get this game out. If the successor to 3DS was looming soon after projected launch date, I’d understand, but the 3DS is now in its stride. A little longer wait is fine by me, especially if it means not releasing side-by-side with a rush of holiday season titles.

I will have to hold out hope for a dual-language re-release in Japan. (My copies of Ace Attorney 1-3 are all the budget bilingual JPN versions, and they’re quite nice)

Sango

Tbh I’m having second thoughts on getting the game. I’d prefer a physical copy over digital. A longer wait is no big deal as long as we still get the game.

PreyMantis

Have you ever thought that this plan might just backfire on you? If you, and other people who are thinking the same thing that you do, don’t buy this digital game now because you think a retail version will come out in the future, it will just create less game sales. And if Capcom were thinking of planning on releasing the game as a retail if the digital sales are good enough, and instead get a not so great digital sales, it will remove the plan to release the game as retail in the first place. Even if the digital sales are good enough, I doubt Capcom will ever release a retail version even if the game sells well. I know I wouldn’t if I get more dough through digital than retail.

TL;DR: Low digital sales = less likely of a retail game.

324234

If he buckles and purchases a digital version he’d have no reason to buy a later-released retail version..

http://jpoplove.eu/ jpoplove

retail version is needed only for collection.

Sango

Yeah, it would be easier for them to delay the game and give us the option to purchase a physical or a digital copy. ” I know I wouldn’t if I get more dough through digital than retail.” yes, you and a few others. That still leaves out a large sum of people who still want a hard copy.

Uso Ewin

If it’s really that big of a problem put the digital version on an Sd card, put it in a DS case, and pretend it’s a physical copy.

RisukuAozora

That’s not even close to the same, it’s not even funny. Even saying “go buy the Japanese box” would be 2x better than saying this…

Alexander Marquis Starkey

Not really. If they were to delay it, it would conflict with a release schedule that capcom has set up.

http://people.ign.com/princerevolver Surgeon Of Death

Capcom should expect low digital sales due to them alienating part of their fanbase.

PreyMantis

Alienating their fans like Monster Hunter switching platform to platform and still selling like hotcake even if the fans are on the other system the game is not on? Yeah… no. How is it alienating when the game is still on the same system? I think the word you’re looking for is ‘inconveniencing,’ not alienating, because the game is there, it just sucks for those who like to hold their games.

http://people.ign.com/princerevolver Surgeon Of Death

Alienating fans as in telling them they can only purchase a digital copy, some people who want this game don’t understand English. And how did Capcom alienate MH fan by switching platforms? MH has been on every platform out or is available for them . Versions may vary. MH has nothing to do with this, and it’s not soley an exclusive series, AA is third party but is mainly for Nintendo. Capcom is alienating part of the AA fanbase. They can easily delay the game and make available for everyone.

PreyMantis

What do you mean by some “people who want this game don’t understand English?” If you meant that there will be people getting the English version of the game even if they can’t understand it, it makes no sense. Why wait on a game you can’t understand when the game is already available out there but with just a different language other than English, which you can’t understand? You’re not making sense here. Fill me out.

As for MH, I was referencing the fact that MH has always been on the Sony consoles until they diverged to other platforms; thus, alienating the ones who always been supporting the game on that platform. Why is MH3 and MH3U on the Wii and Wii U/3DS, respectively, when they could have made a PS3 version? Why is MH4, another sequel to the main series, on the 3DS and not on Wii U also? Why only the 3DS? Heck, why is there no MH on Vita when the PSP had three of them? How do you like it if your favorite series suddenly jumped platform to platform just to continue the series? It’s costing you more than it should and waste more of your money on systems you either not play much or not play at all after you finish the game? Not all MH games are the same, same with AA, so missing out on one could potentially ruin your favoritism of the series and would less likely buy every games that come out after, which would loose your support. This is not the case for AA because its main series are exclusive to Nintendo systems. It’s not alienating you because you can expect the next sequel to be on their system, unlike MH that hops from one platform to the next. Like I said before, it’s not alienating anyone, just inconveniencing them because you can still get the game on the system you expect the game to be on but would just loose the physical copy of it. Are you sure you know what alienating means? It means to isolate you from something or someone. In this case, you are not being isolated from the game because it’s still on that system you expect it to be, but just not in a conventional way that would benefit you more. Do you understand what I’m saying?

http://people.ign.com/princerevolver Surgeon Of Death

Did you even read the article? “shiro also went on to state that release timing was also part of the decision to localize the game solely into English, instead of other languages as well.” I its hard for you to believe, but some people that want this game don’t understand English. So yes, it does alienate them. like Sango stated, not everyone has the means to download it, on top of that a digital download cost more than retail for some people. Capcom already explained why MH4 will be on the 3DS. http://www.siliconera.com/2013/08/23/capcom-says-currently-no-plans-for-monster-hunter-4-on-playstation-vita/ ““Games have ideal release periods, which also determine when their development begins. This resulted in our judgment of seeing the 3DS as the most desirable [platform for Monster Hunter 4].”

British_Otaku

They haven’t done a dual language rerelease for AA4 yet.
I wouldn’t bet on AA5 getting one anytime soon when it’s probably easier for them to just reduce the price on the E-Shop.
I agree that the AA1-3 budget bilingual releases are dope. Switching between “Igiari” and “Objection” can keep you occupied for ages. :D
Would have been nice if they delayed it a bit, just to make sure that they can get Multi-5 up and perhaps a physical release. There aren’t enough confident English readers in PAL land to keep the series afloat especially when it is limited to digital releases.

transferstudentx

great thanks now i skip this game with a big smile on my face and pretend that it never existed this way i saved both TIME and money

cmonandslam

Personally, the almost year long wait for Apollo Justice was agonizing. If I had the chance to cut a 10 month wait to a 3-4 month wait at the cost of a physical release, I’d jump at the chance.

Dust Huynh

Daymn…I’m upset, but I saw it coming.

Klarktastic

Guess its the first ace attorney I’ll have to skip then. This sucks.

FitzpatrickPhillips

Hah…wow

Klarktastic

yeah, its so funny apparently

Michael Synodis

Sorry, Capcom, I’m not paying $40 for the digital right to play a game on one device. That’s not what I want the norm to become, so I will vote with my dollar. But I will credit you for being very consistent in your blatant disdain for your fans these past two or three years. You haven’t once slipped up and released a product that didn’t have some sort of anit-consumer asterisk attached.

Kaihedgie

….

Seriously, do any of you people read the rules?

Why are you here? Why are you whining about a game you’re not going to buy? Why must I keep asking these questions over and over again?

Malon

Probably the dumbest answer I have ever read.
He was PLANNING to buy it, as me and probably looooots of people here, but regarding the decisions CAPCOM made, he has the right to complain, and again, as me and probably loooooots of people here.
It’s called being disappointed, you know ?

Kaihedgie

I’ve been disappointed by a lot of things but you don’t see me going on these grand tirades and certainly not something as small as a physical release of a video game. And really, suddenly not buying a game just because you can’t physically hold it in your hand? Are you sure you’re replying to me and not them?

Klarktastic

you’re really bothered by this aren’t you?

Kaihedgie

I’m bothered by just how whiny people get over Capcom in particular for doing…anything

Sango

Doing anything in particular as in, giving those who want a physical copy the middle finger? Its like we tried to localize the game… anyway here ya go.

Kaihedgie

You can still buy the game and play it though. There is literally no reason to whine. You’re still biting the hand that feeds over nothing. So what if DD isn’t getting a physical release? What does it matter? Just get over it.

Sango

Yet you completely side step the fact that some people don’t have the means to digitally download it. Or are you incapable compreheding that?

Kaihedgie

You’re still referring to this as your personal problem though and I’m pretty sure a lot of people with a 3DS would have some internet connection to use for the eShop.

Sango

Oh yeah, because I was the only one interested in a physical copy. I wonder how I even managed to post comments w/o an Internet connection. I’m pretty sure some people don’t tho. Having a net connection isn’t the only problem.

http://amc9988.deviantart.com/ amc99

There’s a reason and people are giving those reason to you. Yet you seem to completely brushed them off without trying to give it some thought.

Malon

You don’t seem to realize of bitchy it was from Capcom to do this to both US and EU players. The series always had been translated for EU countries and knowing it’s going to be the second time (remember AAI) a game with so much to read and where you have to be (almost) bilingual to find the contradictions in depositions isn’t going to be translated, well, IT HURTS!!!!(so much “!” to make you realize how furious I am)!!!!!! I say this because I’m french.
And then, they confirm you’ll have to digitally purchase a game we all here has been looking forward to play.
Don’t you know how bad the digital-games system is on 3DS? If your system happens to be stolen/broken, your game is lost FOREVER. Do you hear me ? FOREVER !!!!(again)!!!!
And there’s also people who like seeing their games-boxes, I’m one of these people.
Having your game inside of your system and knowing you own-it-but-you-don’t-really-own-it is kind of, you know, disturbing.

Kaihedgie

You still have the option to buy and play the game. Either you will or you won’t and if you won’t, you have no reason to be here other than to whine about not having everything your way.

Malon

I’ll buy the game anyway, but my butt is going to hurt a lot.
It doesn’t look like any argumentation is allowed with you.

Klarktastic

stop whining, its annoying

Kaihedgie

You first

Klarktastic

nah

Michael Synodis

I don’t think it’s possible for him. If you read Kaihedgie’s comments, he is impervious to any point of view other than his own.

Michael Synodis

Why do you care so much about how I spend my money? Why do you care whether I prefer to own physical games or digital games? Comprehensible arguments have been made as to why one might vastly prefer physical games over digital games. Even if those reasons don’t change your opinion, are you honestly saying you can’t conceive why several people here DO feel that way?

Kaihedgie

I have a better question: Why did this one little thing stop you from buying the game? I mean you must not be that much of a fan at all just for really arbitrary reasons. You literally can still buy it. There is nothing stopping you from getting and yet this one little thing suddenly kills all your hype.

Michael Synodis

I will answer you, and then maybe you will answer me.

It stopped me because I don’t want full priced digital games that the consumer has no legal ownership of to become the normally accepted standard. As you can see by the number of people complaining here and also downvoting you, it isn’t considered acceptable right now by many.

Capcom and most game companies want it to be acceptable because they stand to make a LOT more money if they could sell their games digitally at full price. That is why Capcom is trying this. It’s important to me that I not support this future.

Yes, I will miss out on playing the next Phoenix Wright game, but you know what? Some rational adults put their moral stances above getting to play a video game. And also, there are TONS of great games to play. Even TONS of translated visual novels. I’ll be okay.

Kaihedgie

“Some rational adults put their moral stances” It’s a friggen video game, a form of entertainment. LUXURY. No one is actually forcing you to do anything. No one is bribing you or cheating you out of anything. If your priorities are so darn fickle that will you come to a screeching halt and not buy a game just because it’s not in your hand, then maybe you should stop investing money in video games.

Morals? Rationale? You didn’t even make this game. You had nothing to do with its development or production and yet you get to demand crap like you own it or something?

Michael Synodis

It seems the only person demanding something is you demanding I buy the game. I’m not demanding Capcom does anything, I’m simply not buying something because I don’t want to support it as is. Why does that enrage you so?

http://amc9988.deviantart.com/ amc99

Eshop system based is not a “little thing” to many people

LaserVision

“Eshiro also went on to state that release timing was also part of the decision to localize the game solely into English, instead of other languages as well.”

You missed the part where Capcom went out their way to only localize the game in English you know, for the fans. But hey, don’t let that get in the way of your grandstanding and playing the victim.

http://www.segalization.com/ Kuronoa

Meh I may still get it but it sucks when the rest of the games were given physical release.

wasad

I don’t really care for having a game as soon as possible.
I’d rather have a nice box with some nice box art and possibly a nice manual.
The cartridge would have gone nicely in the AA5 3DS game case I got from play-asia, also.
I’ll still buy the game, of course, but I’m pretty disappointed.

Alexander Marquis Starkey

Isn’t the 3DS region-locked, and that Special Edition 3DS a Japan only product? You know there is a chance that wouldn’t work with your English copy right?

wasad

I don’t think physical cases can be region-locked.

Kamakuma

I agree with you there I got my limited edition a while ago and it makes me feel warm and fuzzy. XD

Alexander Marquis Starkey

No I’m pretty sure game carts not match the same region code don’t play. Can you play other US games on it?

FitzpatrickPhillips

No biggy

RisukuAozora

We could’ve waited. Some of us prefer our games in boxes.
At least they aren’t blaming the fans this time tho.

Ethan_Twain

Speak for yourself. As someone who cares about the actual contents of the game and not it’s… aesthetic value on a shelf or whatever, I am a consumer who wants AA 5 delivered to me in whatever format makes that happen fastest. If this brings me AA 5 sooner rather than later, then it pleases me.

I would much rather have a digital release shortly after Japanese launch than a long wait like is the case of Ace Attorney X Professor Layton.

Ercoman

Hence him saying “Some of us”, not “all of us.”

Michael Synodis

Um, he WAS speaking for himself and like-minded people such as me.

LaserVision

Really 11 downvotes? It’s ok to disagree, but talk about spiteful.

Anyways, publishers barely put anything in boxed copies of games these days to cut costs.

RisukuAozora

I suppose I should’ve used “some of us” then, huh? But hey, whatever floats your boat, some like boxes on shelves, some want the release to be speedy and clean. Some of us will still get AA5 regardless of format and some will definitely boycott.

That aside, I think speed is an excuse here. If Atlus USA can release SMT IV in a box (with a cd and guide to boot) just 2 months after Japan release, Capcom’s excuse is kind of poor.

Luis Camargo

Two lines of text that took me more (salty) tears than all “emotional” games from this generation combined =(

Ethan_Twain

I think if I ever was more emotionally invested in the way video games release than the contents of video games, it would be time for me to quit the medium for good.

Luis Camargo

Obviously it was hyperbolic, but still with a little bit of truth for me. I hardly find games with engaging stories now that make me honestly care for those characters and world.

Still, many games are sold as “emotional experiences” and those are usually which dissapoint me more. So the news that a game, which I believe will have a great story, won’t be localized in a box (or at all in some cases) give me a sense of sadness because I actually care for those (which is more I can say for the stories for some games I played, even if they are fun)

qchto

full price + digital only + horrible digital distribution policies + region locking = no deal …
sorry capcom, but if you are not going to risk on a physical release for your stablished consumer base, i’m not going to risk my wallet on your games..

pimpalicious

Problem is, the Ace Attorney doesn’t have enough consumer base in the west.

qchto

i call bs … yes, we are talking about a niche game, but that didn’t stop them from releasing the original AA outside Japan, which was a lot more risky move.. and also, we see a lot of “nicher” games getting physical releases with very good results..
the thing is they are just trying to justify their greedy policies (yes, not offering a physical counterpart to a digital release just to obtain more benefits from the digital sales is greedy) under that excuse, and to me that’s unnacceptable..
but anyway, if you want to accept that they shove it down your throat, go ahead..

Ethan_Twain

I accept it. I accept it and I say thank you. Thank you Capcom, for localizing Ace Attorney 5. I didn’t take it for granted that I would get to play this game, and I am delighted to have the opportunity. I will vote with my wallet to ensure that I will continue to get the opportunity to play Ace Attorney games.

Because I’m a fan, and being a fan sometimes means being willing to deal with less than ideal circumstances because you love a product. And I love this product very much.

qchto

i’m also a fan, but before being a fan i was a customer.. and to became a fan i had to have access to a game..
and that’s why i don’t accept this, because i want this franchise (and a lot others) to be discovered by more people not only through media coverage or marketing, but by sharing the experiences (just the way i discovered it)..
so for me, if i start encouraging this restrictive business model in favor of a game i would be hurting the very concept of what i believe gaming stand for..

PreyMantis

Are you sure you’re a fan?

qchto

i will always be a fan of the old AA games, and i will continue to enjoy them in the future in any machine capable of loading my ds carts..
if i’m not able to do this with future releases of this game, i already have lost much of the experience.. and if trying to stand my ground deny me from the experience of any new game of this franchise, so be it, but don’t expect me to defend this toxic practices with my wallet..

PreyMantis

I’ll take that as a ‘no.’

Ethan_Twain

I believe the place of a fan is to buy products they love, and to have experiences with those products that they will treasure.

I do not believe that it is a fan’s job to proselytize for a product, or to take responsibility for a product’s fiscal success or failure.

I believe the place of a marketing executive is to figure out cost effective product release strategies to benefit brand and corporation.

pimpalicious

Tbh I was surprised we had four localized Ace Attorney games on the DS. I’m not sure if I’ll be buying this release or not as I like AA but it’s not a favorite and there are a lot of games coming out I want. But that has nothing to do with it being digital only as I’m happy to play games and it doesn’t matter whether I get to show them off in my collection or not. (I’m not knocking people who do).

Alexander Marquis Starkey

Actually a lot of people will either pirate, get it used cause they just found out about, or borrow it from a friend…I’ve seen it.

LaserVision

Fans have had 5 AA games to make the series a hit.

And unless you actually work for Atlus, XSeed, or Aksys or have actual revenue/expense numbers you can’t call BS on anything. Don’t go attacking people who will buy PW5 if you can’t back what you’re saying with actual facts.

Qunton C.

And fans have absolutely destroyed the sales expectations which caused Capcom to reprint the games MULTIPLE TIMES. How is that not a hit?

Why are people so upset that its download only? Just be grateful its even getting localized after bad signs from AAI2, in fact a VN like Ace Attorney making it to the west was a miracle in the first place

http://www.segalization.com/ Kuronoa

Between a crowd that hate eshop and the physical purists, 3DS digital localizations have an higher mountain to climb.

I’ll buy eshop games but wary of its lack of true account system. Not that I take it out to risk endangerment but whatever.

Lynx

The latter point would have true a couple years when PW was pretty the only VN released on consoles. Hello, Aksys!

ChiffonCake

I’m really puzzled by how much people seem to care about physical releases.

http://linkapics.tumblr.com/ Linka

Well, admittedly, I can see why they’re bummed on it. Some people like it for the collection aspect. Others like the feeling of owning a physical copy over the “renting” sensation that digital gives.

Of course, the main complaint about this is mainly stemmed from Nintendo’s lack of a unified account system for their digital services– which evidence has shown that Nintendo is aiming to resolve this sometime in the future.

A lot of it comes down to what people are willing to pay for, and for a lot of them, it’s for a physical release.

ChiffonCake

I understand not liking how Nintendo deals with downloads in their systems, but other than that… I honestly can’t understand why people are THAT bothered about it, to the point that they’d rather not play a game at all than buy a digital version.

I suppose this nicely illustrates some differences across cultures… most of the games that I’ve played, I did so through emulators, so not having a physical copy of a game really isn’t that strange to me.

http://linkapics.tumblr.com/ Linka

Hmm, I can see that. But having stuff on a computer is different– and paying for that something is much more different than playing through an emulator.

British_Otaku

This isn’t a download only game and it is part of an established series of games which were purchasable on a cartridge for over a decade.
There is a beautiful limited edition and I have it. There is a lovely mini pamphlet (booklets are getting rare) if you don’t feel like spending so much. It lines up quite well with Gyakuten Saiban 1-4 as well.
The fact that it has a physical edition and even smaller publishers push out multi-5, dub and sub, limited editions in America and Europe for VNs or niche games makes people expect at the least a physical release.

qchto

so, how much did you paid for those emulated games? and on how many machines were you able to play them?
that aside, my 2 main complains about this game being digital only is the digital platform used and the unavailability of playing it imported (if i choose to do so)..
trust me, this game being digital would be a lot less of a problem if was released on vita (or even on the original ds just for the non-existent region locking)

ChiffonCake

What does it matter? Change it to games that I’ve gotten on Steam, then. I still don’t care about them not being physical. Alternatively, regarding the few physical games that I do have, I care more about the games themselves than the fact that they’re physical.

Please understand that I’m not saying “people who don’t like digital releases are stupid!!!”; but I’m asking “why does it matter so much?” I understand liking the felling of holding the physical game, or having a nice collection in your shelf, and your second paragraph does raise a good point, but the extent of the hate that some of the comments here display for digital-only releases is just staggering.

qchto

ok, i didn’t mean to offend you by my first question, but even talking about steam i could repeat it: “how much did you pay for them?”
also, just to clarify, i got no problem with digital distribution in general (i love both steam and psn, and had easily spent more than 200 dollars on them) but the eshop offer is awful, is paying a full price game for 1 use license under a single console.. basically is not “your game”, it’s “your console’s game” and if you have lost a console due to theft, a technical malfunction or even an accident, you know you’re losing only that console, but now you would be losing your console and your purchases..
and before you ask, yes, i still play some of my old nintendo games from time to time, but i lost my original console decades ago, so you get why i prefer not to invest in this kind of model..

ChiffonCake

Well, not full price, if that’s what you mean, thanks to summer sales making them affordable. I still don’t see why it matters, though.

qchto

if as a company you spend that much money in creating a game and charge me a value for making it future proof (by giving it to me physically), why should i pay the same value for a game that doesn’t offer me that same guarantee?
also, “cost of production” .. you really think a physical release cost the same to produce and distribute as a digital?
that being said, i’d really defend this point with my wallet, if you really believe you deserve that much money for a digital release, add the extra cost to a retail copy and i’ll gladly pay for it (and as an example, i already did this for smt iv at a $50 price point)

ChiffonCake

Hmm. That is a valid complaint, though I’d say that normally, digital purchases are just as ‘future-proof’ (that’s a rather peculiar term) as physical ones, if not more, since if you happen to lose your console somehow, you can just download the game again (unless you’re using a 3DS, because that really is stupid). I do agree that the prices shouldn’t be the same due to lower production costs, though.

However, I was under the impression that digital-only games usually ARE priced lower than ones that are both physical and digital?

qchto

well, without a retail reference price we can’t be sure.. also, until now the digital-only games on eshop were usually “mini-games”, never designed to compete directly with retail ones..
what i still don’t understand is why a company like capcom can’t come across a way to (at least) offer a limited batch for niche games with an actual customer base like this? or to make a pre-order offer that they can use to actually excuse their decision to not release physically if that’s the case? (something like devil survivor 2 case http://www.siliconera.com/2013/08/16/step-it-up-europe-devil-survivor-2-only-has-627-pre-orders/ )

Sango

It’s a matter of preference. Some people just prefer hard copies, what if you wanna lend the game to a friend or trade the game in? On top of that some people don’t have the means to digitally download it.

Klarktastic

for me, is the fact that I’m paying full price for something that can I only play on MY 3ds makes it not worth it, and it double sucks for me because I have an american 3ds and live in europe, so I would have to spend like 50 dollars or something just to order a nintendo eshop card. (you can’t use an european credit card on the american eshop)

Testsubject909

As someone who plays a large variety of games, retail and digital.

Knowing that a retail format exist and that the reason why the localization is not getting retail is just infuriatingly stupid.

And I personally do get what the deal is with Physical copies. It’s beyond just ownership or nostalgia, it’s also it’s own set of benefits much like, say, a DRM free copy of a digital game.

NightzeroAX

Those “People” like having a certain game they’re interested in or is hyped up about in their hands and not in a invisible format.

Its hilarious. This is the same community that freaks out about Vita Memory Card prices, as if digital downloads are the only option and having a 32GB card is a must. Not sure why carrying Vita carts is apparently frowned upon but physical 3DS releases are a necessity.

Note: Not trying to start a console fight. Its just this whole physical vs digital deal is so hypocritical half the time.

http://linkapics.tumblr.com/ Linka

Well, personally, I do like the Vita memory cards and the digital aspect– especially since I have a lot of digital PSP games and some Vita digital games (Totori+, for instance). I think the main reason why people are angry over Vita memory cards though is that it is blatant overcharging compared to SD cards, which was something that happened with the PSP memory sticks.

FitzpatrickPhillips

Which is why you can just get the 4GB for less than $20 and backup what you’re not using. You don’t necessarily need to have 500 games on you at any given moment. As far as I know, you can’t backup games with 3DS digital games.

Way off topic though.

http://linkapics.tumblr.com/ Linka

Main reason I like having the games on the stick all at once is cause it takes a long time to even download them in the first place. Deleting and moving and transferring takes more time than I’d really want to deal with, after the first time. Also no matter how you slice it, the 4GB is, by far, very useless in terms of the Vita if you want any legitimate use out of it– and especially if you’re a Playstation Plus subscriber. That 4GB card will fill up immediately.

But yes, very off-topic.

Enzo

Speaking of Totori+, it’s 3GB. I don’t think I would want to download much more in terms of retail games for the PS Vita because I KNOW my collection will start to grow to a similar size to my 3DS collection (30+ retail games).

http://linkapics.tumblr.com/ Linka

Pretty much. The only retail-available games I have on my Vita are basically only there because of PS+. Some of these Vita games are /really/ big, and some digital only games will clock in at over 600-700MB, depending on their quality. PSP games, especially, and some PS1 games!

British_Otaku

Vita Memory Cards are overpriced relative to SD cards for space, you need multiple of them to play different regions I hear and the digital store is quite promising. It makes sense for people to be pissed off at the prices.

This game is part of a series of physical release visual novels. It has a physical AND digital release in Japan. Niche games tend to get that even here like Zero Escape. We expect a physical release at the very least, with the more cost efficient option for Capcom (digital releases) as a side dish.
They are completely different circumstances.

Shane Guidaboni

The feeling of holding the game in your hands along with the box art is a better feeling than watching a download bar. For me, it’s also more satisfying to slip a cart into my system. When I download a game, I never have this feeling that I fully own it. It just exists in the cloud. There isn’t the same feeling of having something tangible on your shelves.

Sango

COPY

AlteisenX

It’s called a collection. I like to have a collection to see visually. People naturally like visual and hands-on things. I have an artbook, and other PW merch I display, and adding something that exists only in data format doesn’t… ya know… work.

GH56734

They did the same with European Ace Attorney Investigations re-release: English only release after four Multi-5 releases (Apollo Justice was released there BEFORE Trials and Tribulations, it’s an ugly mess), and lots of countries were even denied the English-only game at all, because of “piracy concerns”. It was a spectacularly botched launch.
To add insult to injury, French and German folks being the nationalist people they are (anti-English-only media), and this being a text-heavy game with a somewhat mainstream appeal there, sales there plummeted drastically as lots of fans there felt “betrayed” (French version had entirely different names than English one).
Result: “Not enough sales to justify localization of further entries”

Okamiden DS (but surprisingly, not Ghost Trick) got the same treatment with the same result. To say Europe is being screwed in all of this is an understatement.

XiaomuArisu

Anti-English?
Lets check my games bought in Germany
Persona in english
TiTS english
BRS english
Neptunia english
etc. english

GH56734

I meant the mainstream audience (not niche audience of course) often doesn’t bother to buy these games if they’re not localized. I knew of a lot of 10 year old kids in France buying Ace Attorney games because it’s in French.
Part of what made the success of the Layton series in Europe was the translation plus dubbing for each language. Otherwise it wouldn’t have the mainstream appeal it needs (lots of German people don’t bother to learn languages other than their own, they’d not touch this).

XiaomuArisu

Dude thats almost racist
In Germany we have to learn english in school.
And later we have to choose to learn france,spanish or chinese.
Im not german but I live in Germany.
I saw more people here beign multilingual than the other way around

Testsubject909

Hmm… If I may interject.

I take it the question is.

Are you and the people who you know who purchase English only games in Germany, the core gamer type or the mainstream gamer type?

Next question would be. Are the mainstream gamer type different in their mentality? Much like the difference between mainstream movie goer (think of the dumbest of people you can and voila) and the more educated movie goers (think the type who went and watched Scott Pilgrim vs The World or Dredd 3D).

Final question would be. Are there numbers to help prove or disprove either statement here?

And I’m off to sleep a bit.

XiaomuArisu

Dunno

I just dont like it when people say
This country is so and so
That guy has to be like that because he is that

He hit a nerve with that

Testsubject909

Fair enough.

GH56734

That wasn’t my intention in the least.
A sizable portion of the mainstream audience just doesn’t want to spend the extra effort to play the game in their English version, and would just pass over buying them solely because of that. (again, regardless of the English fluency and educational level :) )
Kind of like lots of Americans would not play through a kanji-heavy Japanese game, even if they know Japanese.

I lived in France for some time and I know many customers wouldn’t touch a product unless it’s available in their language (niche games, which are solely available in English/Japanese, are another matter entirely, but you wouldn’t expect them to have nearly the same level of success).
People are very passionate about their languages there: A strictly videogame example: I saw one heated discussion on the net about a minor typo in Phantom Hourglass FR (which, by the way, is localized twice to French, for France and Quebec; same for Spanish… People would complain about the bland text otherwise.. there’s even a law in Quebec that prohibits sale of US English-only versions of videogames announced for Europe until the Euro French version is out, then that version is the one sold).

It’s serious business there: you can see the French and German fan-translation communities are very active. All videogame reviews there list whether French is available or not, and it does have a huge impact on sales.

XiaomuArisu

Fair enough. Its true that some people dont like to buy things which arent translated.
I overreacted a little

That’s really unfortunate but I prefer to see it released instead of never see it like Edgeworth 2 :(

Lazulis

Dangit. I wanted to use my $30 eshop for Unchained Blades. Maybe if I find another job in fall…

British_Otaku

Only English localisation and only a digital release… :/
I saw the digital thing coming, but I hope they support the rest of the European market.

愛憎

I don’t really mind. I mean, I’d prefer that it could sit next to all my other Ace Attorney games, and it’s not necessarily a game I need to be on my device at all times… I still want to play it, though.

Suicunesol

Man you guys are weird. I can understand being disappointed. I like licking the boxes too, smelling the factory smell, and drooling on the pages of the manual too. I have a bunch of 3DS boxes on my shelf. But AA5 looks really great and you know it will be really great; it’s no reason to not buy at all. Once you start playing the game, none of that other stuff is going to matter.

Some might revere you for sticking to your principles. I just think you’re being stubborn and unable to adapt to a changing world.

But it’s okay. I don’t believe most of you anyway. I believe many of you will cave and buy it because it would be such a shame to leave Phoenix hanging.

Sentsuizan_93

I know this really sucks and all but…
Localization minus physical release > No localization at all.
……….Just saying…

Arcana Wiz

yes even if it’s sad at least we will get this game, it’s a somewhat niche title who cant even guarantee a physical release, so we should be happy, but for now let me be sad for a while T_T

linkenski

Finally someone who sees the glass as half-full instead of half-empty. I’m sick of people complaining and boycotting because they have a nice-looking shelf of game boxes.

G.Loki

I wouldn’t mind a digital copy if the game was tied to an account instead on the system…

http://amc9988.deviantart.com/ amc99

This. THIS is the only reason that make me feel reluctant to buy the game digital. People always said we who want a physical release just want to decorate our shelf with some pretty game box which is not true. If nintendo use account based system I would buy the game without second thought

linkenski

I think they’re already working towards something. They are releasing a Nintendo account system for PC and smartphones by the end of the year, and rumors have it they’re working towards making Nintendo accounts instead of friendcodes for the 3DS. Maybe in a couple of years all our games might be registered and tied to our accounts instead,

But look, this is the only way to get this game. Do you really wanna skip out on it if you want it, just because there’s a probability you might lose your console? C’mon, it’s just one game.

http://amc9988.deviantart.com/ amc99

Nah, I love Ace Attorney. So I will get the game even if it’s eshop release only. Just wanted to point out the reason why most ppl don’t really like download only title for 3ds

linkenski

You know, I think the likelyness of me losing a cartridge is much bigger than losing my console. I know it would really suck if it was stolen and you have a point, but cartridges can be rendered unplayable too. I like having all my games on the console instead.

http://gentlerobot.com/ Gentle Robot

I thought it was so they could sell it when they were done playing.

People like video game shelves? They’re a massive waste of space.

Testsubject909

Yes. People like video game shelves.

Yes. It’s materialist. No, we don’t care that it is.

And no. I’m not selling any of my games nor the mad loot I got from my limited editions either.

Rogerrmark

This all the way/

http://gentlerobot.com/ Gentle Robot

Do you still buy CDs?

Testsubject909

It goes beyond just having a nice looking shelf. Physical games provide direct ownership of a copy of the game and one that can be utilized, shared and handled by any compatible hardware whereas a digital copy on the 3DS is pretty damn locked down there and from everything I’ve asked in preparation to my eventual ownership of a 3DS, is just quite user unfriendly.

A retail version would’ve been far more valuable and enjoyable overall with less long term worries to deal with.

Say whaaaaa?! Dammit, I was hoping Duel Destinies will get pyshical copy T.T

School Idol Addict

Meh, i was willing to give this serie a try for the first time, but i’m not interested enough in this game to buy a digital copy.

British_Otaku

If you have a 3DS, DS, Wii (WiiWare), Android device or iOS device, feel free to try out the series from the beginning with Ace Attorney: Phoenix Wright (that’s the first one).
The original trilogy are collected together in “HD” on the Apple and Android stores, though I prefer the original look on the DS (or GBA if you can read Japanese).
Starting off with the 5th main instalment of visual novels given how many things happened in the original trilogy and were alluded to happening in the fourth, not even mentioning Ace Attorney Investigations 1 and 2 (the second wasn’t localised, probably a fan translation out there), you would get a great experience but miss out on references and the connection between characters. I suppose starting with the fourth (Apollo Justice) is fine, but only if you plan to go back to the original trilogy in order right afterwards.

Magnumsally

No offense to him but I think thats a crock of crap. They could have done it if they wanted

Ethan_Twain

Of course they could have. They could also release it for free if they wanted. I fail to see how what capcom CAN do has any bearing on what is REASONABLE for capcom to do.

AuraGuyChris

Eh, it doesn’t affect me that much. This game is worth it anyway.

J_Joestar

“compromise the game’s price”
so that means that it’ll at least be cheaper if we only get a digital release right?

Klarktastic

just 40 dollars

Derek

Where exactly did it say that?

Klarktastic

It’s just guesswork, but Isn’t that the usual price for big releases on the eshop? Going by capcom track record I would fully expect them to charge as much for it as they can.

http://www.siliconera.com/ Ishaan

Maybe you should try doing some research before shooting your mouth off next time.

http://linkapics.tumblr.com/ Linka

Actually, it’s very likely that the game will be under $40. Why? Because there will be no physical version of it.

The reason many digital games will be full price is because there is a physical copy, and publishers are /required/ to price things comparitively to physical releases. That’s why, while there’s a lot of major Steam games that cost $30 or so, releases like Max Payne 3 or Skyrim and the sort are the full $60, because they have a major physical release out there.

And as noted, they have said that they won’t be selling this at full price as a result, and that the physical release would force them to sell it at full price– maybe even more. So there you go.

mirumu

Capcom have indicated previously they won’t charge the normal price. I’ve no idea what they will charge.

Istillduno

Ahahahahahahahaha

No, that **** will be full retail price guarenteed.

Seraph

I’ve found that digital download prices here for New Zealand actually work out to be more expensive than buying a physical copy.

It’s really a lose/lose situation, but I still want this game so I guess I’m going to have to roll with their (Capcom’s) decision on making it digital only.

AlteisenX

There’s a lot of niche games getting physical releases, hell, Ys just got a limited edition, but a physical release was too hard for Capcom for this?

…Words do not express the amount of disgust I feel right now with their company.

I don’t even understand how it would make the release later… I mean right now we’ve only got “Fall” to look forward to ffs…

Tincho Kudos

I was not going to buy this, but since I got 30$ in eshop, I don’t have any excuse to not buy this (Except the lack of Gumshoe, that is)

Arrei

All of this reminds me of how a game that doesn’t get localized at all would be met with pleading and begging for “a digital release, at least”, while here we have a game that’s actually in that predicament in order to get a western release, and so many people are going and not buying it.

AzureRyuujin

Wasn’t counting on it anyway. Besides, only issue is I need a bigger SD card.

Judgephoenix

Read through most of the comments think only one person said anything about it being full priced, which is usually the case people do not want to play full price and knowing half way through the year it will still be full price since it is digital.

Suicunesol

I don’t think price is much an issue. As with Steam, as with PSN, games are full-price when they first come out. It’ll fall with time. Code of Princess launched at full price too, and I think you can get it for $19.99 now.

Eric Harris

no buy then. Happy for fans that don’t mind, but can not support it as Nintendo has an archaic digital system. If I upgrade to a 3DS XL (which I will likely do), my downloads don’t go with me.

Brandonmkii

Mine did. Not sure why yours won’t.

Eric Harris

I have a 2gb sd card not sure if you can transfer from card to card. In any case, I think Capcom is making lame excuses and I don’t plan to buy it digitally anyway. Using a non profile download system is just the end of it.

http://linkapics.tumblr.com/ Linka

There’s a transfer utility in 3DSes, you’ll be able to get your stuff onto a 3DS just fine.

mirumu

You can sort of do it as long you have both the original 3DS and the new one you’re upgrading to. You connect both to the same Wifi network and then you can do a system transfer that will copy everything from the old 3DS to the new one. It’s a fairly slow and tedious process, but it does work.

It is a one-way process however so your old 3DS will be completely wiped at the end of the process.

If you don’t have both your old and new 3DS on hand, say you’ve already sold the original for example, then you’re out of luck. You cannot transfer content by copying SD cards. Each SD card will only work with the 3DS it’s associated with. The 3DS way of doing all this stuff is a bad joke really.

Suicunesol

(The Pikmin transferring scenes are really cute though. :P)

Freud_Hater

Okay, fine, whatever,no physical release so you guys can get us the game faster, I can live with that… So how come the game still isn’t released?! T___T Or why don’t we AT LEAST have a release date?

British_Otaku

The game just released in Japan a month ago.
Given that we got screenshots of the game in English, the pace is fast enough already with a release date or not.
We should be pushing harder for Ace Attorney vs Layton to come sooner, that game released much earlier in Japan and both later Layton and Ace Attorney instal;ments make it look almost drab. I expect many people to review or speak about that game as if it should be more ambitious or look better when it laid out the ground work in the sense for the games we already have translations out or in the working for.

Freud_Hater

I-I know, I know… I’m just really eager to play it, y’know? D:

I have to be patient… the wait will be worth it, right? :’D

British_Otaku

It’ll definitely be worth it. I’ve avoided reading the threads on GameFAQs directly (people seem pretty good about spoilers so far), but people seem to be gun-ho and enjoying the game (the few importers who can actually read or the people watching it on Youtube or whatever). I’ve actually got the game already, but I’m FAR from the level of being to read through a mostly text driven game in Japanese, so the limited edition goodies and the box just sit there… >_>
I just booted it up so I could get the DLC costumes for free and look at the interface real quick.
If they have a model viewer for every character, not just the three with two costumes, I would applaud the game so hard.

Freud_Hater

Oh, you daring bastard, I do admire you… I usually import games I really want too, but for a game like Ace Attorney that’s IMMENSELY story-driven, I just could push myself to do it… I envy you, though ^^’

Derek

Sure what Eshiro stated wasn’t exactly the news that I hoped for.

But then again, even though I wanted a physical copy of Dual Destinies, I am still happy to get the game digitally either way.

neo_firenze

Interesting that just two posts away, Siliconera has an article about Xseed releasing a fabulous looking LE version of Ys: Memories of Celceta alongside a standard physical edition. And of course, that game will also get a digital release for people who prefer that.

Seems like Ys would be a much more niche series than AA…

Eric Harris

I agree, I just think Capcom is making excuses, and lame excuses at that. Anyway, we can speak with our money. And I speak with my money by buying physical and LE’s of games I like on Day One at full price.

Suicunesol

Speaking with money won’t work here. Not buying will only reinforce the idea that download-only was a good idea in the first place.

http://www.siliconera.com/ Ishaan

I always wonder why people bring these pointless comparisons up as if the same publishing model works for every single publisher. If that were the case, this industry would be a lot more stable than it is.

KnifeAndFork

Hey dumb off topic question: If I bought FE digitally and I buy SMT IV today digitally, is it too late to get that $30 credit and if so, how do they know I got it if both are digital?

http://www.siliconera.com/ Ishaan

You have until August 31st to register both games on Club Nintendo. Once you do that, log into CN and look for the promotion. It should be on the site. You can activate it from there to receive your code, which you can then redeem for the $30.

Oh, and digital purchases are automatically registered to CN if you have your 3DS linked to your CN account.

KnifeAndFork

thanks! But how do I register the game if I didn’t link my 3DS to Club Nintendo before I bought Fire Emblem digitally? Is it too late or something?

Edit: aw man I ended up calling them on the phone was on the line with a Nintendo rep for like 20 minutes! He had to register Fire Emblem and my 3DS which he did over the phone. That was cool of him I guess

No its not too late, You need to link your club nintendo account to your 3ds, you can find the link menu inside e shop

neo_firenze

Is it that pointless of a comparison? Niche Japanese game, on a portable, being localized months after the JPN release. I’m not talking about a AAA game versus an indie release on Steam.

And maybe I’m off base on popularity, but AA seems to me to have a lot more recognition among gamers in general (leading some people to think that maybe it would make more sense to have a retail release). Ys is a bit of an obscure franchise even to a lot of people who are into JRPGs.

I’m not making any sweeping judgments, just noting that it’s interesting to see two companies making very different approaches to localizing niche Japanese titles. Maybe it works out for both of them. But it’s intriguing to see the reactions to Xseed versus Capcom. Both sides are almost impossible to get an honest take, since Xseed is constantly praised to no end by the hardcore fans, and Capcom gets slammed no matter what they choose.

malek86

Notice that Ys is coming out on the PSV. We don’t know how different things are for manufacturing PSV cartridges. But we do know that Senran Kagura will come out digital-only, and Unchained Blades did too. Clearly even Xseed has some problem releasing retail games on the 3DS (the first one will be RF4). So Imagine a bigger company like Capcom, who likely has to fit some minimum size orders to get a game.

Qunton C.

My issue is that Capcom has said that AA has struggled to maintain retail sales, which is blatantly false unless they were wantting a retail shelf life to rival a CoD release. I mean, why did nearly all of the games have to have multiple print runs to meet demand, as they said during interviews with Gamespot and joystiq? Why did almost all of the games shatter sales expectations, as Sven had said in multiple interviews before the AA5 debacle? In fact, all the games just got reprinted AGAIN earlier this year. So something isn’t adding up here and you can’t deny that.

They’ve sold, alright. But they’ve mainly sold over the course of a long period of time, which is why they got multiple reprints over the course of years.

Companies want a quick turn-around if it comes to games they’re investing in, and if sales don’t come quickly enough, it doesn’t matter if they end up becoming a smash hit down the line. They’re going to be considered a struggling series.

Qunton C.

But the games have sold above expectations during preorder and on launch before, as I linked above. Namely the first and third games. The first kept getting prints requested shorty after launch and the third sold double their sales expectations during preorders.

British_Otaku

Interestingly enough, digital releases still suffer from the same problem of selling slowly especially as sales are connected strongly to the visibility of a game, if I can’t find the game after 3 minutes or looking around or without deliberately searching the term, that’s a problem for a release from not too long ago.

Shantae and Earthbound? I expect both to be evergreens years later as buying a copy is so expensive and the cult following for both of is beyond comprehension. A decade or so after the original SNES or GBC release is when there is a chance of digital only for a physical game not backfiring from people expecting more. >_>

Alexander Marquis Starkey

Actually Ys would be less niche, still niche, but still a popular JRPG that people are way more likely to put a lot of time into. AA will last like 10 hours maybe, and after you finish it, you’ll put it down, a lot of people will just sell it, or give it to a friend to play, etc.

SigmaNHK

I still plan on buying this, but this just means it’s not a priority to get it day one anymore.

Nyandroid

Wait… Just because to get it out more quickly?? I don’t mind waiting.

Alexander Marquis Starkey

Trust me, a lot of people do. And usually they are the majority.

http://amc9988.deviantart.com/ amc99

Yet in the end if they delay the game, those who waiting will still get the game. So this is a really lame excuse coming from capcom. They should just speak honestly

Physical=more money=less profit=NO WAY FANS

Guest

great thanks now i skip this game with a big smile on my face and pretend that it never existed that way i saved both TIME and money

yalissa

Guess it’s time to get SMT4.

Brandonmkii

Would I prefer physical? Of course. Would I let this stop me from enjoying it? Heck no. I’m in it for the game above all else, boxes be damned.

I thought this debate was over already. I guess now it really is though and all I am going to say is…
I still want the game. Release ASAP is exactly what I wanted to hear, and haters gonna hate. Can’t wait.

KnifeAndFork

oh that line please stop using that line…damn…not even appropriate here since FANS of the series are talking here…geez

British_Otaku

If the series never gets localised again due to low collective sales between Europe (many of us are iffy about digital, even more will be iffy when it is only in English) and America, it may be because of the “Release ASAP” idea.

Testsubject909

You can wait. For a quality product, you always wait.

Rushing tends to Fuck things up.

And it’s in these cases that haters are actually good. Haters can point out where things fucked up. And ignoring them is just being a dumbass.

Shizumasa

I agree with so many comments here. Oh, the dilemma of wanting a physical release or digital release.

Maybe the problem is that Pheonix Wright isn’t niche enough to get a physical release.

In all seriousness, yet again Capcom is taking their fanbase for granted as they try and push more BS onto them for the sake of chasing more money in the short term, we can only hope this goes as well for them as it did with DmC and SFxT and hope this latest bit of tomfoolery gets onto the “That didn’t work” pile sooner rather than later.

Alexander Marquis Starkey

Um…those games have way bigger Fan Bases, andnpublishers who are satisfied with their sales…and less 2nd Hand players…also, they day you compare classic JRPGs like Shin Megami Tensei and the Tales games to a visual novel in terms nicheness, is a sad day for fans of Tales and SMT.

Testsubject909

Etrian Odyssey has a bigger fan base then Ace Attorney?

Say what?

https://twitter.com/BinksFrost Binks5

shouldve guessed comments would turn this way, regardless i was ready for this when svensson left so im still happy to get the game, all i want now is a release date

Guilherme Matheus Silva

I really don’t mind if there’s no physical release here in the west, but I feel sorry for those who care…

klkAlexar

How come game publishers almost never take the digital first route with small print run later? Wouldn’t that solve some of the time issues that they have? Or is it just not worth it?

http://linkapics.tumblr.com/ Linka

This is really what I’m thinking– but it’s also why Capcom would not greenlight a physical release yet. It may end up forcing them to match the digital release to the physical release date, and price them evenly (at $40+, or around there, since they have stated they won’t be selling the digital release at full price due to a lack of physical release). It’s better overall if they end up deciding it at a later date when they’ve made profit off of the digital release.

SailorDark

That’s a bummer, but I still plan on getting the digital version even though I prefer physical releases but I have the Japanese version (with the Phoenix statue) to fill the lack of physicality void. To all of you trying to compare a large company like Capcom to small companies like Xseed and Atlus, please remember that even though Capcom is bigger and has more resources it also comes with the increase of expenses and lack of maneuverability. They would have to sell more to achieve profits which is why big companies like Capcom tend to avoid throwing large amounts of money to localize niche games or not localize them at all. The fact of the matter is that Capcom wants to avoid risk now more than ever due to their recent failures (RE 6 for example). Just be happy that they decided to localize the game at all.

http://terracannon876.livejournal.com Laura

While I have my own collection habits with physical releases of games and other paraphernalia and I understand how nice it is to have all the items in a series in a same format, to me experiencing the story and the contents of the game is far more important than the way it was released. To me, boycotting the release of the game is, in a way, showing just how much you don’t care about the series because you don’t care to experience what happens in that game. (And if you just care about the what, well, reading up what happens on a wiki is by no means the same as playing the game yourself.)

Because of this, I am grateful just to have a Western release at all.

Food for thought. Imagine if Capcom had never said anything about having a Western release. In fact, imagine if they had said it was impossible to have a Western release at all. Then, the fans would clamor for a release until, amazingly, Capcom gives us a Western release, albeit download-only. In this case, the fans would probably be so much happier because they are getting more than they’re expecting. Yet now, because our “baseline expectation” is getting a download-only Western release, fans want more. It’s all relative. The reaction is so much harsher despite the end result being the same – getting more than you expect (none -> d/l only) vs. getting exactly what you expect (d/l only -/-> dual release).

Rytan

i just want a solid date and price so i don’t, you know, spend my money on something else then have to wait a couple of months to get this. because there are a loooot of games i want this fall but, y’know. limited money to blow on vidyas.

Jesse

Aren’t these the kind of articles that usually have comments locked from the get go? ^^;

Well, either way. it’s kind of sad that it won’t be physical, but hey, it’s better than not getting it. I was planning for it to be digital, anyway.

KnifeAndFork

It’s just Capcom’s recent push to ‘keep’ publishing to a minimum with their “Japanese centric” games.

All the more “western friendly titles” they will push the hell out of because they think thats what the fans in the West really want (A bearded Nicholas Cage in Lost Planet 3, a revamped Dante that swears too much, a Gears of War meets Call of Duty’d Resident Evil 6 & ORC, and a Western RPG style of Deep Down and Dragon’s Dogma for instance). Meanwhile E.X. Troopers stays in Japan because it’s “too Japanese”. Same with Basara 4 I imagine….but hey Breath of Fire 6!

on mobile phone : (

Vesperion

With all this Complaining over AA being digital only and no one wants to buy it now, then i guess all the begging to get Senran Kagura stateside was just a waste of time then

http://www.segalization.com/ Kuronoa

Senran Kagura is slightly different, Europe is getting physical release but NA isn’t and I’m sure there are conversations about region locking.

Rocket D

I honestly wouldn’t mind waiting/paying a little more for the physical version (though not guaranteed this is how a majority of the fans feel) but am I going to skip buying this because there’s not going to be a physical release? Of course not. I love the Ace Attorney series and just getting this game is a privileged. We all remember Investigations 2 after all. With this reasoning does this mean the west can get a digital release of AAI2? I prefer physical copies but if it means being able to play the game at all digital is fine.

With news of the Professor Layton Series selling 15 million copies total I’m sure if AA could ring in those numbers we’d be getting the figurine/the LE edition to boot…I know one thing, refusing the buy the digital copy of AA:DD is just ensuring the west will not be getting any more AA games even as a digital release…

KnifeAndFork

It’s crazy when you think about it…Virtue’s Last Reward got a physical release (good game) but an established franchise like this doesn’t? Weird…

Rocket D

Virtue’s Last Reward is handled by Aksys though (well in the US I think, not
sure for Europe) and it took quite awhile to release after the Japanese
release. Personally, I can agree to what you mentioned though but because the companies differ it could be why it’s an issue here and not with VLR.

Basically what Capcom is saying here, if they manufacture the
game for physical release it’s going to take much longer and cost people
more aka cost them more to release a game they won’t get massive sales for. We didn’t get Investigations 2 for the same reason (cost more to localize and release than they would earn I’m guessing based on past AA game sales). By eliminating the manufacturing part of physical copies I guess it saves time and money to make any kind of release possible at all though it does suck. It does sound like an excuse on Capcom’s part but I gotta admit we’re not only getting the game but the DLC (exception of the cultural quizzes) so I don’t mind it being digital exclusive really but I hope Nintendo upgrades their eshop with an account purchase basis so I don’t have to worry about losing/rebuying a game…

Sakurazaki

This. As much as I would like a physical copy, having at least purchases tied to an account would ease a pretty good amount of my disdain towards this.

http://www.segalization.com/ Kuronoa

Well in any case I think the SMT/FE $30 credit deal help the sales of this game because anti-digital and anti-eshop people are a very scary duo for anybody looking to localize on 3DS.
Unless Capcom makes this a $40 purchase then they screwed up.

Bobby Jennings

Digital-only on 3DS…..that’s a nono for me. Until they get some kind of account system, I’m not doing it.

VenerableSage

My download speed is awful, so I can’t spend hours waiting around for it to download when I work full-time and thus have limited amounts of time at home. Guess Capcom didn’t gain a sale.

EDIT – Not that I’m surprised that it ended up this way; we were only ever guaranteed the digital release anyway. After Svensson left, there wasn’t really much hope to begin with.

EDIT 2 – I should note that I don’t really give a crap about having a physical copy from a collection standpoint, either. While I prefer to have physical if possible (from a property rights standpoint), it’s more a case of game size, here. I can deal with short, small-file-size downloadable titles, but anything that takes more than a few hours or even more than a day is something that I simply can’t buy.

I tried buying digital on a full retail release for a game on Steam a year or so ago and after it took two days to download, I’m not doing that again.

Tenshigami

So I’m damned if I buy this now, and damned if I don’t. Either way it’s going to leave a terrible, terrible taste in my mouth.

Lovely.

Arrei

But in one case, you have a terrible taste in your mouth and the game, and the other, you have a terrible taste in your mouth and no game!

So one sucks kinda less than the other!

Tenshigami

I just hope they, y’know, price it accordingly since it’s digital only. If they go with the typical Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $40 when there’s no manufacturing even involved, that’s going to be a rather bitter pill to swallow.

http://linkapics.tumblr.com/ Linka

They’re not going to. They’ve stated as much, and the only reason anything digital gets priced at full price is because of standards concerning physical releasing existing simultaneously.

http://www.facebook.com/jefriputra Jeff

Real fans will still buy it whether its digital only or physical release :))

British_Otaku

Dividing people into “real fans” and “fake fans” by whether they are dead set on buying AA5 regardless of distribution method and (I know you didn’t mention this) languages available.
It isn’t as straight and narrow as “real fans” buy it because it’s been localised and others don’t.

We_Were_There

phoenix wright is perfectly capable of breaking even and making a profit in the west, though presumably just not big enough profit to fill the gaping hole between capcom’s buttcheeks.

Guest

As a fan of the series I’m happy this is being localized, so I’m going to support the release of this, physical or not :)

Higashi no Ame 東の雨

So, I cannot play this game. I hope this will not happen to Professor Layton VS Ace Attorney.

British_Otaku

Level 5 and Nintendo won’t let us down.
Layton has consistently got a brilliant and complete localisation with the London RPG missing on the copies in Europe (You Know Where London Is!?) being the only exception. I expect to see a physical and digital release, they are already doing so with the game in Japan as well (digital copy is really expensive still at 5,980, it probably had a good price during the sale).

foopy

Meanwhile, DuckTales Remastered gets a box with art, a code for a downloadable version of the game, and a collectible pin.

Many Ace Attorney fans, including myself, would be happy with just that. Moreover, if they had put a collectible attorney badge from the games in the box, people would be chomping at the bit to buy it.

But, they have us all over the proverbial barrel, whether you want a physical release or not. It’s our “duty” to support the series we love in order to (hopefully) get more games, even if it means supporting business decisions that a lot of us don’t love.

http://linkapics.tumblr.com/ Linka

I’m pretty certain that boxed copies of Ducktales Remastered also come with no disk at all.

Aside from the collecting aspect, cons for digital only are long d/l time for those w/ slow connection, needing SD card space, no account from Ninty, etc But I’m playing thru the Jpn ver now (on the 3rd case, and I bought the Orca special case for 400 yen, would be 800 yen later), it’s a great game, and I do look forward to playing it in Eng. again to see how everything’d be localized.. I don’t disagree w/ those who mentioned they would vote w/ their wallet, what w/ Capcom’s bull excuse, but unfortunately for western fans, beggars can’t be choosers, it’s definitely not in the fans’ best interest to skip this and miss out on such a great game.. I’m not sure if I would day 1 Eng. digital only release, but I alrdy plan on getting this w/ the $30 credit from SMT4/FE Awakening.. some mentioned digital only would be cheaper, I was actually ready to fork out $10 on top of the $30 credit.

Still Capcom, it’s disappointing for such a popular and long established series, Investigations 2 ignored and now the main 5th entry be d/l only.. Faster, how much faster? I’m willing to wait even 3-6 months for a physical release (I know I’m playing the Jpn ver alrdy lol but seriously I would not mind waiting). Cheaper, how much, $30? I’m willing to pay $40 or even $50 for a physical release so I could play on both my 3DS & XL.

Despite all this, and even owning the Jpn ver, I would still get the Eng. release.. Preferably I usually like to d/l cheaper games like Rain, Ducktales, Castle of Illusion remaster, etc, $20 or lower.. but for anything $40-60, getting digital just doesn’t feel right, not to mention full retail games take a lot of space.. I’m not sure how big AA5 would take though, I forgot how big the Orca case was, but it was quite small I think..

Yes, this majorly sucks, but what can you do *.*;;… I don’t agree w/ Capcom but would still buy this since I’m a big fan of the series..

To reiterate my stance, I’m the kind who would get Back to the Future retail, or even Duck Tales w/ a box and a code. Even though I don’t like Capcom’s practice in this case, as a long time fan of the series, who has played every PW game + investigations 2, 5 should not be missed, fans would love it.

malek86

“Still Capcom, it’s disappointing for such a popular and long established series”

I think the problem is, we know the series is popular in Japan, but how popular it is in the west? Is it really popular enough? Strikes me as a very cult thing to me. If it weren’t, we would have gotten AAI2 and the retail version of AA5.

And they could have tried milking fans with an expensive special edition. If they aren’t even doing that, I imagine they think it’s not worth it, maybe because the series really isn’t as popular here as we think (most of its internet popularity could easily just come from memetic mutation, with very few people actually playing the games).

British_Otaku

All three regions managed to get Ace Attorney’s 1 to 4.
The first title in the States was reshipped multiple times due to failing to meet demand and reached 100,000 shipped in America by 2007.

I can’t find sources confirming that Ace Attorney 2, 3 or 4 did as well, but visual novels have considerably lower costs of development and they went that far.
The series only seemed to hit a slump with AAI (Sold poorly in Europe as Capcom didn’t translate it into anything more than English) and AAI2 (A pretty late DS release, very few games were getting released for the DS at that point and Capcom were probably burned by the last game’s sales in Europe).

If cult, it sells much more than most mostly text driven series outside of Japan or on a portable and somehow got lucky four times in a row.
The memetic mutation itself will lead to more people playing the games eventually. “The Cake is a Lie”, “Arrow in the Knee” and “Worth the Weight” may get flack but they draw people in somewhat when they aren’t digging for reviews or reading why you think Valve are the best company evers.

http://linkapics.tumblr.com/ Linka

Actually I managed to find sales data about the last games, and it seemed like while AA1-3 did decently well comparatively to Japan’s sales data, 4 and AAI sold much lower in the West than even Japan’s first /week/ in sales since their release date multiple years ago, which given their threshold for sales in general, says a lot.

This is all from VGcharts, admittedly, but they’re probably the only site I’ve really managed to get numbers from for this.

So while the game series isn’t really /failing/ to sell, it’s been hitting a pretty downward trend in recent years for the West… and heck, AA1 only really actually hit a major sales stride two years after it was released, when it got it’s big second printing and people discovered the game existed. To a big company expecting an immediate turnaround, given how Nintendo apparently asks for third-party manufacturing costs up front, that isn’t evidence of a popular series. And the series probably only got as many chances as it did because the first three games were low-budget and ports of a GBA series.

Qunton C.

VGchartz is about as reliable as making up your own numbers.

http://linkapics.tumblr.com/ Linka

Hmm, then tell me, are there any really accurate sales charts sites? It feels like other than using VGChartz, which seems to have a bad reputation, finding sales numbers seems to be difficult, since the person above couldn’t even find numbers relating to it. Googling any of the games really only either gets you Japanese sales, or VGChartz, so unless if you have a better suggestion for a sales collection site…

British_Otaku

I imagine there aren’t many more sources around but I tend to ignore figures from VGChartz on principal even if much of what you say (we got lucky partly due three of the games being GBA translated ports) is easy for me to agree with.

It’s quite easy for me to find tons of games which sold much more outside of Japan according to VGChartz on the flipside and publishers are still stubborn.

As for better sources, just go for ones directly from the companies. Just cause there might not be an alternative doesn’t excuse using a bad and terribly unreliable source.

Aoshi00

It might not be a million seller, it’s niche no doubt, but I still find it hard to believe the series is as unpopular as Capcom would lead us to, considering the first five games were all retail and translated in multiple languages. I bet AA5 retail would sell at least better than sweet fuse, which i’m getting the boxed psp ver as well, as tempting as it is to get digital to play on a big bright vita.

Testsubject909

I just wanted to note.

Remember that Capcom wanted to go on a more focused digital future. Now, they probably meant just tons of DLC but this would fit in line with their “We’re cutting out the cost and optimizing our profit by doing nothing but digital”.

…

Well, I’m not buying Ace Attorney for a while. If it was retail, I’d have gotten it on the first day. I don’t own a 3DS though, so they won’t get a sale from me. Plus if a friend of mine purchases it, I’ll just play it on his 3DS and eventually purchase my own copy once I own a 3DS and by then it’ll probably be long enough for it to have gotten a price drop or possibly get on a digital sale if Nintendo does those.

British_Otaku

The Orca case is already up on the J3DS e-Shop? And it’s on discount now?
I’ll probably hop on the store and get that too and pick up my old Japanese dictionary again… >_>
Otherwise, my views resonate with yours very strongly.
I’m very willing to double dip for this and also to wait for a physical release.

Aoshi00

Yeah since several days ago, all quizzes dlcs and orca special case are out, it’s discounted at half price for 400 yen, until 9/21 I think, better go grab it :) the costumes now aren’t free anymore and cost 150 yen. I added 500 yen to my Ninty acct to buy it. I played about 1/3 of it but went back to the third case :). I agreed with your comments too. Btw, if u check out the Jpn official site, there’s some drama CD up for u to listen to, it’s cute. I might buy the CD later once it’s out

rubin

Well, looks like I just saved 40 bucks, thanks Capcom!

Göran Isacson

Mo’ money, mo’ problems apparently. I guess that while they say they want the game released as fast as possible, there’s money reasons behind that too- in this economy aren’t you supposed to earn back cash from your game as hella fast as possible? So if there’s a huge time delay between different versions, maybe they think that’s a bad thing because they need to earn back their development budget as fast as humanly possible before the treshing machine that is upper management deems them too slow, and demands intern sacrifices to their gaping maws.

Or maybe I’m totally off and it wouldn’t cost them that much more to take their time, and this is just a convenient sounding excuse that they think will mollify fans. I dunno. Is there a significant economic plus to release the game here so quickly that they completely ignore physical releases and other languages? Because it sure sounds like an issue of money to me, rather than time.

malek86

They might be trying to have it out before Christmas.

Other than that, I imagine it’s mostly for economic reasons (as should be expected of any business company, really). No manufacturing = less expenses, as they themselves are saying. Also I don’t think AA was ever particularly successful in the west, although I have no hard numbers for that, but that’s likely the idea.

Testsubject909

It was relatively successful. It wasn’t reaching the sales of AAA games, but you could compare it to, say, Castlevania games… Castlevania games might I note, despite being beloved and well known games, actually don’t have great sales numbers supposedly.

Göran Isacson

So I’ve heard as well- while I’ve bought every single Metroidvania game that’s ever been released, I’m relatively alone among my gamer friends in that regard. I can believe that they’re a series that’s got more word of mouth than actual sales.

Hours

This is an extremely disappointing decision on Capcom’s part. I really don’t understand them.

They asked for people to respond, thousands did, and yet they still say no. It’s mind boggling, especially when other companies are releasing physical editions of games that are sure to sell less, yet those companies have faith in their fans. Capcom seems to have very little confidence in us, and that is a big punch to the gut.

PoweredByHentai

Thousands, yes. But manufacturing the cartridges requires a minimum purchase amount that might be too high for Capcom’s comfort.

Depending on how much resource Capcom puts into translating Ace Attorney, it might be that there just isn’t enough interest to justify the cost of translation + reprogramming + physical release.

Not saying that this is the reason but it certainly sounds like a plausible portion of the problem if you consider other developers that have issues with Nintendo’s cartridge business.

M’iau M’iaut

Yup. Similar stories go back to the GameBoy days where a reason we didn’t get the Star Ocean 2 sequel was the extra costs associated with the larger carts.

All this niche action on the long forgotten PSP is Sony lowering the costs and barriers to still publish there. Yet, look at how many of those same niche titles are/will be digital only. This market is what it is — still expensive and a few extra sales might not just be viable for the added costs.

PoweredByHentai

Oh, you meant Star Ocean 2 Blue Sphere. I was wondering what you were talking about until I remembered the manga series. XD

The way I see it is that Nintendo is protecting its own interests at the expense of others, especially with regards to cartridge production. Not that it is a bad thing per se, but it basically stacks the situation against developers and publishers.

This could also be why Nintendo is so eager to push digital downloads of 3DS titles, because cartridge production for Nintendo itself isn’t cheap and doesn’t scale very well.

Testsubject909

I’m confused. The article states it’s age at the bottom, being 2 years old. But the comments are 3 years old.

As for the rest. So. Sony’s the most dev/publisher friendly out of the whole bunch now aren’t they?

PoweredByHentai

More like Nintendo still has what seems like archaic production processes to their logistics that haven’t changed much since the 80s.

Sony’s logistics system with the PS1 was revolutionary in that it accepted payments in credit and that the turnaround time from order to shipment was within a week. That’s the advantage of the CD physical media.

Göran Isacson

A very interesting article, with some pretty interesting discussions- I do wonder what advantages the cartridge format offers Nintendo that make up for the disadvantages of high costs and slower production time. Is it just control? Or is there some other bonus? At any rate, as you say it does explain somewhat why they’re so eager to push for digital. Less money, less problems!

PoweredByHentai

Nintendo’s cartridge business was formed specifically to avoid the crap that caused the video game market crash, basically the sort of unrealistic excesses of Atari’s console business.

This is why Nintendo demands upfront payment and minimum bulk orders. No point in doing business if your client bankrupts you.

Nintendo’s push for digital, however, seems more based on greed than any long-term solution. They still haven’t deployed account based ownership for digital games.

Göran Isacson

So essentially their business is based on taking the absolute minimum of risks? I can see how that both works out for them… and angers the little guys who can’t be expected to live up to such standards.

Gotta wonder though, what would they lose on going over to an account-based system? Is it essentially too complex for them, or would accounts somehow mean a loss of control of some sorts for them?

As for Nintendo’s reluctance to move people to account-based ownership, greed and/or incompetence seems to be the issue. Alternatively, what they might be afraid of is people logging into multiple console systems under the same account. But even then, you can mitigate the risks by letting the user determine which is the primary and which is the secondary machine.

Instead, Nintendo tweaked the 3DS’s Spot Pass BS. Go figure.

Hours

I find it hard to believe that Capcom wouldn’t be able to afford it when many other much smaller companies can.

They are being cheap and lazy, it’s as simple as that.

PoweredByHentai

It isn’t an issue of Capcom being able to afford it. It is entirely an issue of whether it would be profitable for Capcom to do so.

They can afford to pay for the physical production and all that entails but if it isn’t profitable, then they have to answer to their shareholders.

Hours

Their shareholders should be more concerned that Capcom’s fans have been completely debased by the never ending string of horrible anti-consumer practices they’ve been enacting lately. Otherwise nothing will be profitable for them.

And as I said before, if other companies can do it for game with a much smaller audience, surely Capcom can as well. I don’t think all these other companies are releasing games to not make a profit.

PoweredByHentai

Shareholders typically don’t give a damn about what the consumer wants. They typically care about the company they invested their money in to increase in stock price for their financial portfolio.

When you speak of “other companies”, which “other companies”? Because Nippon Ichi and Atlus have built their business model around catering to niche genres to a very dedicated fan base. Aksys and XSEED are also pursuing similarly niche genres for their business models as well.

Phoenix_Apollo

Personally, I have a severe problem where I forget about games I’ve download a few days after I get it. Earthbound, Super Stardust HD, FF VII; after the first week I forget I have them and end up playing something else because I have the box there, looming at me. I cannot use e-reading devices because I can never figure out what to read and loose interest quickly. I’ve never been able to pay much attention to phone apps either. If I don’t have a physical copy, it might as well not count.

In Capcom’s process to get this game out in the West as fast as possible, which I do not understand because the fanbase will be there regardless.of release date. they’ve alienated me. As much as I love this series, I know I will be unable to play this game, despite having a 3DS, and that’s sad to me. This isn’t a protest, or some stupid boycott. I fully plan on getting Ace Attorney X Layton at retail, but I can’t get this because I’m not going to end up caring that I have it. It will sit ignored collecting digital dust and I can’t do that. I won’t do that.

Sorry.

Mathew Gibbons

What about things on Steam or other download only PC games?

Johnathan Lenig-Lopez

I don’t quite get it. Why not release it first on digital, then work on a physical copy for the people who dislike digital? Let the game get popular via review sites, fans, etc, then release a physical version for those unable or unwilling to do digital, but who have still heard how good it is. I mean, I appreciate they localized it at all, but it’d still be nice to have a copy in hand.

xXDGFXx

And sorry, I’m not giving them my money.

Nogib

Capcom just doesn’t seem to want my money. Shame on them.

$36487238

I’ll still buy it. No problem for me. Been buying digital forms of games over physical anyway,

Just Tim

Wow. What is this, a spite move on eBay users, given how physical copies of the 1st three even exceeded the Square Enix tax, back in the DS era?

Trinity

Still buying it. I’d rather have a digital copy localized than none at all.

Testsubject909

Though it is irritating that at first we were told that this is the mentality we should go with as at the very least we get a digital version. But later on we learned that one of the reason we got a digital only version was because they wanted to match the Japanese release date as closely as possible rather then take the extra few months to produce retail copies, then they told us that if we continued to beg enough they might be able to, or rather, Sven might be able to. Then Sven quit Capcom for some reason…

And I’m still kinda peeved and can’t help but feel that Capcom shot itself again, not as painfully as other games, but still well enough that it has alienated it’s fan base, again, on yet another great game and that this’ll damage sales which in turn will damage the long term chances of a franchise that they, here in the west, had already opted to just give up on because the sales were apparently not satisfactory despite still being a profit as far as I could tell.

David García Abril

“Eshiro also went on to state that release timing was also part of the decision
to localize the game solely into English, instead of other languages as
well.”

A lack of localization makes an early release pointless for people who can’t understand English. Specially in a game like a visual novel, where the understanding of the text is esential to advance in the game. In other words, those people CAN’T PLAY THE GAME AT ALL.

And even for those who can understand enough English to get by, many, if not most of them won’t get that immersed in the story because it’s not their first language.

So much for “maintaining the high quality levels fans are acostumed to”, Capcom…

Alexander Marquis Starkey

This much I do agree with. At this point Capcom is just throwing away money. They underestimate the amount of players play this game in non-english speaking companies.

http://www.youtube.com/user/Kevassa02 kevassa

It’s not surprising this decision was to happen; in fact it was a given. But something else is bothering me: Capcom has been alluding at the fact (or outright confirmed) they want to charge full-price for the game. Coupled with a digital-only release I can’t help but think that whatever division is calling the shots still has an eschewed vision of reality here.
I’m one of the few persons that isn’t bothered by a digital-only release but the whole management of the deal, the PR and their marketting campaign has been nothing but childish, irritatingly corporate and, more importantly, very hard to trust.
I’m more bothered at the fact of -how- this is happening rather than -what- is happening.
Had they confirmed this day 0 and given an actual good reasoning for it as well as a sensitive pricing I’d like to believe this fan outcry would be almost completely avoided.

In short: Bad show Capcom. I understand where you are coming from but this is a really poor way to handle your very own games.

SirRichard

Would it be so wrong to just be honest? You don’t feel that the returns justify spending money on manufacturing carts and boxes and then distributing them. You don’t feel that more time and work spent on localising it into more languages is worth it. No, it’s not pretty, but that’s the reasoning. It’s nothing to do with release dates, and that’s fine. They need to make money.

Except for the languages bit, that isn’t fine. That’s just being really stingy and further limiting the game’s audience. I’m glad we’re getting it, I really am, but come on, Capcom, you don’t have to lie.

Testsubject909

Putting it over to something as stupid as a release date will get people bitching far more if you as me.

At least one is transparent and clear and reasonable despite being against our own personal desires.

The other is just dumb.

http://www.santashi.com/ Santashi

On the bright side, at least I have that $30 credit from buying SMTIV and FE:A. I’ve never actually bought anything on the eShop before.

Leonardo Duarte

“this fall” means september-october-november-december?

wahyudil

sell it for $20 … digital is it … but for $40-$50, I will prefer a physical

porkiewpyne

I think it would have been cool if they did something similar to what Ghostlight did for Devil Survivor 2 in Europe. That said, it would probably hurt supporters even more should it backfire like the former…… Ah well :

British_Otaku

There is no chance that Ace Attorney 5 translated into English is more niche than Devil Survivor 2 over a year after the region free English release in America and the announcement of an improvement version.
Devil Survivor 2′s likely failure is more comparison to what could happen with interest in Senran Kagura 1 after Burst was confirmed (which has the original game upgraded AND the sequel).

disgaea36

Hey at least we are getting the game thats all i have to say lol I’m just happy I get to yell hold it yet again.

Presea

Aw I wanted a physical copy, that sucks. Looks like digital download it is then.

Qunton C.

Or, you know, release on eShop first and THEN do a physical. Either way, this confirms that I’m skipping this game until Capcom gets some sense or Nintendo revises their policies on digital distribution.

Joseph

Why cant I hold all these sad faces =( guess ill try to import that Phoenix statue someway or another.

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